“Bastogne” medics prepare for EFMB

Photo By Sgt. Samantha Stoffregen | Medics with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) crawl over a fence while transporting a simulated casualty on Johnson field during the brigade’s Expert Field Medical Badge train-up May 26, 2016. The Soldiers must be able to complete more than 200 tasks if they want to earn the EFMB at the end of June. The brigade conducted a two-week train-up to help their medics earn one of the Army’s toughest badges. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Samantha Stoffregen, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Public Affairs)
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FORT CAMPBELL, KY, UNITED STATES

06.01.2016

“The intent of the train-up was to engross the medics with the skills needed to earn the badge, to show them what right looks like and to give them a basic understanding of what they will see at EFMB,” said Sgt. 1st Class Scott Greene, “Bastogne” medical operations noncommissioned officer in charge. “[Participants] will see the lanes once, that’s it, and then they’ll be expected five to seven days later to test on that lane and get a ‘go’ on it. It’s not very feasible, so we devised this plan to train as many medics across the brigade in a format that allowed them to see the tasks and perform it on an simulated casualty as many times as needed to understand it.”

Greene said typically the tasks that fail the most Soldiers are the written, 100 question test, combat trauma lane 1, land navigation and a 12-mile road march in under three hours.

In order to prepare medics for the more challenging tasks, trainees had three written reviews, an eight-mile road march, several days focused on tactical combat casualty care, as well as two days of day and night land navigation and one final 12-mile ruck.

“The EFMB is traditionally one of the most challenging badges in the Army to earn,” Greene said. “It’s more than 200 tasks that have to be accomplished in a specific order. Less than 7% of those who go for the badge actually earn it.”

Currently the Bastogne brigade had 30 spots for their medics, but Greene said they may add up to ten more.

“It’s not a give-me badge; they have to work for it,” Greene said. “We certainly put forth the effort in training and resourcing this train-up and if they put forth the effort in the actual testing in the lanes, then they are the ones who will represent the brigade.”

Greene said they only plan to send the medics that showed up to all the training, put forth their very best efforts to get the badge, showed consistency, and a willingness to learn.

“I have no doubt that all their effort was put into training,” Greene said. “If they go out there and do what they’ve done in the last two weeks of train-up, I would be surprised if we don’t have at least ten people earn the badge.”

The EFMB was first created in June 18, 1965 and is the non-combat equivalent of the Combat Medic Badge. The badge is intended to recognize medics who maintain a higher level of professional skill and proficiency as a medic. It sets those who can expertly perform in a simulated combat environment, both soldier common tasks and medical tasks above their peers as an expert in the medical field.

Greene said for those medics looking to qualify in June, don’t wait.

“Study, study, study,” Greene said. “If you’re not prepping right now for EFMB, for June and in November, than you’re wrong. If you think you can just show up on testing day and pass, you’re probably not going to get the badge. It’s too difficult.”

After more than 20 years of being a medic and 18 years of having his EFMB, Greene had one piece of advice for his medics.

“Trust yourself,” he said. “If you’ve studied and put forth the effort in the training, not only at the unit level, but the individual level, trust yourself. Trust that you’ve done the right thing and don’t second guess yourself. If it feels right because you’ve done it so many times, than do it, chances are it’s going to be right. Go out there and get your badge.”